2017 District Officer Elections

I received a few questions about District Officer Elections last night and today. I thought in the spirit of fairness I would share my response to make sure everyone has the same information.
Every Lt. Governor candidate needs to have a signed copy of the service agreement and endorsement form turned into Stephanie, David, myself or our designate before the start of elections at the rally. Following the rally, whoever is elected must submit this form within 48 hours: http://alabamacki.org/ltgovernorelection/ Every District Wide Officer candidate must have a signed service agreement, endorsement form, and rules acknowledgment to turn in to me and/or the Elections Chairperson at the Candidates Meeting. These forms are all posted at convention.alabamacki.org/elections The site is a little rough at the moment since it is not finished yet, but the forms are live. Nothing needs to be mailed.

The procedure for nominations are the same at both events. A candidate must be nominated by any duly qualified delegate and be seconded by any duly qualified delegate from a different club than the nominator. At the Division Rally, Candidates have seven minutes for speech/questions. They may divide the time however they want and do not have to say beforehand how they want it done. All they do is speak then say they open the floor for questions. At District Convention, it is a little more complicated. Following nomination, all candidates have three minutes to speak on Friday evening, with no questions. Division Caucuses are held on Saturday morning where District Wide Candidates will flow from room to room according to the schedule made by the Elections Chairperson. Each candidate has seven minutes in each room for speech and questions, operating the same way as Lt. Governor caucuses at Rallies. Finally, at the House of Delegates, candidates are given another opportunity to speak. Governor candidates have three minutes and all other candidates have 60 seconds.

Be sure to review the campaign rules before you make any signs or handouts. Let me know if you have any questions. It is better to ask first than bring something you won’t be able to use. I will dig up some sample caucus questions for you.

I generally give two tips for running for office, then two tips upon election. While you’re campaigning, be the most personable and prepared that you can be. In other words, know what you’re going to say, but don’t be a robot. That comes with practice. Your speeches shouldn’t be memorized lines, they should be memorize points that you talk conversationally between.

If you’re unfortunate enough to be elected, know that, while people say you win the total loss of your social life for the next 14 months, the experience is worth it 100%. There is work and reward everyday. Ultimately, getting 15 or so Circle K clubs on the same page is a lot like coalition building in any other political operation, you’ve got try to make every person involved feel like they have ownership in the outcome. Don’t be afraid to challenge board members to be better, but don’t take out your frustrations on the only people who can fix them.